Code: Death Angel
by Spottedleaf900
Summary: I am in love with the Angel of Death. Slash pairings. Mainly Style. Hope you all enjoy! R&R
1. Prologue

**Hey guys! Okay so this plot bunny, or something along the lines of this has been bugging me for years! I am taking some influence from 'anime' and various other things that I've come across…but I assure you this story will be my own. Enjoy! **

**I don't own South Park. Never have. Never will**

** July 13/5:54 am. **

The silence is the most frightening part. The burning houses, falling soot…the dead bodies, none of that compares to the silence. Nothing moves, nothing breathes. In the aftershock, it is as if everything has been lost. The world is dead. Grant it I can only see as far as the demolished clearing where my hometown use to be, but the world might as well be just as desolate; I'm fairly positive large parts of it are.

I desperately try to clear my vision of the filth that blurs it. My raven colored hair is matted with God only knows what, and my left eye is stuck closed with my own blood. The scent of smoke is thick, filling my lungs with heavy painful breaths. I feel like I have a few bruised ribs, possibly broken, and I can't feel my left arm. Sputtering on the metallic taste slowly seeping out of my mouth, I limp over the rubble of a nameless building. South Park has never been one of the prettiest places in the world. It's always covered in snow; there are no special landmarks or natural wonders. The only things that really stand out here are cows and rednecks.

That was before…

As I slowly make my way through the wreckage, I find myself wishing I could see my plain old mountain town again, just one last time, as it used to be. I wish I could know if my friends and family survived or not. I wish I could know where to find them. As much as I always claimed to hate South Park, I never wanted this. This madness is more horrible than anything I could've imagined.

Through my dazed state, I catch a glimpse of light from the corner of my eye. Despite everything that has happened, my heart flutters and my mind snaps to attention. It's _him._ Desperately, I force myself to half run, half stumble to the source of the light, ignoring the sharp pain the movement sends up my spine. I have to see him, to know he's okay.

The worst part about the grim circumstances I am faced with now is that it's all because of him. All the blood that's been spilt is on his hands. He's killed so many and destroyed all of our lives…and yet, I still love him so much it hurts. I am in love with the Angel of Death.

When I finally haul myself over the hill of debris, the heat from the light is so intense, I can hardly see anything. Out of instinct, I shield my good eye and tremble. My mind starts to race out of control. _Oh god, we're going to get attacked again. I'm going to die! _ My frantic paranoia is replaced with relief as the light fades, then intense fear grips my spine as the scene before me comes into focus.

He stands up straight, body lean and slightly muscular from recent events. His face is narrow and feminine still, the same face I've grown up with; the same face that gives me butterflies every time I see it. The right lens of his glasses is cracked, though I doubt he really notices. His white button up shirt and brown khaki pants are covered in blood, some his, some others. His normally auburn hair looks crimson in the dawn sunlight, and the tips are sodden, sticking to his pale face. His right arm is gone, in its place is the type of machine gun that you only see in video games; wires connect his torn flesh to the cruel weapon. Multiple long metallic blades stick brutally out of his shoulders, creating a macabre set of wings. His clothes are torn to accommodate the machinery, leaving most of his right shoulder and arm bare. The soft, ivory skin is a stark contrast to the jagged steel.

None of that is what makes my heart stop.

His eyes, those gorgeous emerald eyes, usually so full of ambition and vigor, now seem lifeless and dull, like the soul behind them is lost in the machine, and has been gone for some time now.

"K…Kyle." I wheeze, the pain in my left side consuming my body steadily as I struggle toward him.

He turns to me, slowly and with purpose. I go rigid as he examines me; I can feel his eyes boring into my head as he looks me over.

"Human, male, most damage taken over left side of body as follows: broken ankle, fractured femur, broken ribs four and two, shattered collarbone and shoulder blade. Should I take out target?" he sounds more robotic than human as he lists the things wrong with me to an invisible counterpart; my stomach churns and I feel nauseous at the sound of his voice.

When our eyes finally lock, I swear I see Kyle. _My _Kyle. Just for a moment, his stony exterior breaks and his eyes fill with life. He gazes at me, and tears slide down his pale cheeks. His eyes say so many things at once I almost miss the most important message.

_Stan…I'm so sorry…please…help me._

As my vision fades, I watch his soul wither back into the depths of his mind. His expression and demeanor become cold and calculating, and a cruel smirk overtakes his angelic features.

"Understood. All survivors must be annihilated." The last thing I see is his right eye glowing red and his gun being aimed at me.

A shot rings through the air.

**So I hope it's good for a start! Please review so that I know if I should continue. I'm kinda nervous to take on a multi-chapter story. Love to all!**


	2. Beautifully Normal

** Two Months Earlier**

'_You didn't see her face.' _A sudden high pitched noise and the frightening image of a dead girl flashed across the T.V. screen, sending Kyle a good two feet into the air and directly onto my lap. His arm wrapped around my neck and he slammed his face into my shoulder so hard I yelped in surprise.

"Whoa! Ky, it's ok!" I tried vainly to calm him down, my cheeks heating up in reaction to how close he was. Kenny and Cartman started laughing hysterically while I attempted to hide my blush from the red-head on my legs.

"Damn it Guys! You know I hate horror movies!" Kyle's voice rose slightly, a full on pout taking over his features. "Why do we have to watch 'The Ring' for Movie Night?"

"Oh what the little Jew can't handle a stupid scary movie?" Cartman smirked at Kyle's distress.

"You're one to talk Fatass! You wet your bed after we went and saw the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street, and that one _was_ stupid." Kyle's eyes glinted with satisfaction at the horrified look on Cartman's pig like face.

"Ey! I didn't wet the bed Jewrat! Who the fuck told you that anyway?"

"Your mom told all of our parents Fatass." I spoke up, trying to direct the insults in my direction. If Kyle and Cartman kept this up, there would almost positively be bloodshed. I didn't want to have to tend to any bloody noses or black eyes tonight.

"Stupid hippie, of course you'd defend your fuck buddy." Cartman grumbled, but he leaned back on the couch, signaling his surrender. Kyle looked at me gratefully, and took his place beside me. Part of me wished he had stayed on me, but that part was stuffed in the back of my mind, years of practice had made such thoughts almost too easy to hide.

Well, from most people anyway. Kenny, who was lying upside down on my couch, had a knowing smirk on his lips as he glanced at me. I quickly averted my eyes and clenched my jaw in embarrassment. Kenny was far too good at reading people, especially his friends. He had me figured out before I'd even realized it myself. He wasn't very subtle about it either.

"_So, you finally realized you're in love with Kyle." _I remembered him laughing when I started choking on my water, eyes wide with shock. _"Took you long enough buddy!"_ He had pat my back hard enough to clear my wind pipe, but my mind was still on the fritz. _How did he find out?_

He constantly held it over my head after that. I had to literally beg on my hands and knees for him to stop dropping hints in front of Kyle and to let me handle it on my own time. He grudgingly agreed, but any chance he got, he'd bring it up to me, and the hint-dropping never stopped entirely.

It's not that I didn't want to tell Kyle, I really did. I tried many times, on my birthday, New Years, prom; yet every time, every fucking time, we got interrupted by something. Eventually I got so frustrated, I just gave up. I figured I was trying way too hard to force something to happen when it, just wasn't ready to. The opportunity would present itself if and when the time was right. I was determined to stick by this resolve so as not to lose my mind over something I really couldn't control.

Sticking to my guns was not easy with Kyle right next to me. Sighing inwardly, I settled myself into the couch and tried to pay attention to the movie. Within ten minutes, Cartman was sound asleep, snoring and drooling, and Kenny was slowly dozing off. I probably would've been out too, if Kyle would stop jumping every three seconds, not that I really minded. Every time he flinched he'd get a little closer to me. With Kenny and Cartman passed out, I could enjoy this moment of intimacy without fear of being ridiculed or teased relentlessly by them. At some point, Kyle managed to grab my hand, squeezing it in fear. I blushed again and focused on not making the move that I so desperately wanted to make.

"Oh my god, she's so dumb…! Of course her son watched the tape…! I mean come on lady…! Why wouldn't she just get rid of it…?" Kyle whispered loudly, staring wide eyed at the T.V. It took all the will power I had not to pull him close and kiss his silly worries away. I swallowed hard and chuckled weakly.

"I don't know Ky, she just is stupid I guess." _Wow Stanny, smooth._

"Ugh people are such idiots in scary movies!" he glared at the screen, like it would make some difference in the character's choices and fates. I covered my mouth in a sad attempt to disguise my laughter as a cough. Kyle turned on me, a playful fire sparking in his eyes.

"Stanley Marsh, are you laughing at me?"

_Uh oh. I'm in for it now._

"I…um…no?" I stammered, offering up my most charming smile. Before I knew what happened, I was on the floor, with Kyle straddling my hips, beating me with a couch cushion.

"Hey! No fair!" I tried to grab his wrists, but he was to quick. Where I had strength, Kyle had speed. He knew that if I caught him he'd never escape, so he was really good at staying just out of my reach. We struggled and laughed for about fifteen minutes, trying to keep it down. We didn't want to wake the Kenny or Cartman but damn it was hard not to laugh out loud! Finally I caught his wrists and flipped him under me. He struggled vainly against me.

"God why are you so heavy? You're crushing me…!" he whisper yelled at me. I chuckled and leaned in close.

"Say the magic words Ky…"

"Aww come on dude…!" he stared up at me pleadingly, but I was enjoying myself too much to let him off the hook.

"Say it…!"

He blushed and grumbled, "Stan is the master and I am the bitch."

"What'd you say Ky…? I couldn't quite hear you." I smirked. Yeah, I was enjoying this way too much.

"Stan is the master and I am the bitch…! Now let me up…!" he almost growled at me as he tried to push me off. Chuckling, I rolled off him and lied beside him.

"Good bitch."

"Shut up," he murmured, laughing quietly and rolling his eyes. He checked his watch and sighed. "I've gotta get home dude, I've stayed here for three nights. My mom will kill me if I don't come home tonight." He stood up and offered me a hand. I took it appreciatively and glanced at the two sleeping forms on my couch.

"Well they aren't going anywhere tonight…you sure you can't stay?" _Please stay with me Ky._

"I wish I could. After tonight Mom and Dad are going out of town for a week, remember? We'll have all the time in the world then." He smiled and winked at me, causing my head to become light and my heart to spasm. Kyle's parents and Ike were going to visit Gerald's sick mother in New Jersey. Gerald convinced Sheila to let Kyle here with my family while they were gone.

"Can't wait Dude." I smiled and patted his shoulder. "Come on I'll drive you."

"Dude your dad has your car tonight remember?"

"Damn you're right. Well I'll walk you halfway."

"You don't have to." Kyle fretted, slipping on his sweater. "It's almost midnight and it's starting to get cold."

_South Park is always cold Ky._

"Dude, just to the halfway point, like always." I insisted as I slipped on my own sweater. When we were old enough to be trusted by our parents to travel on our own, we'd silently promised to see each other at least halfway to our destinations if we were partingaways. Kyle never seemed to mind walking me to the halfway point, but when it was his turn he always tried to convince me to stay home. He seemed to feel like it was a burden to me. _Yeah right._

He sighed and rolled his eyes, giving in to my persistence. "Fine let's go, Mr. Overprotective." With that he led the way out into the frigid night.

We walked in a comfortable silence, relishing the cool breeze of the fast approaching summer. School would be over soon; we were going to be seniors next year. This was our last summer of teenage freedom and I was determined to enjoy it to the fullest, with Kyle.

I glanced at him and smiled. He stared up at the moon, looking content. His curls framed his bright eyes perfectly. His jaw curved in a clean, feminine way, and he almost floated over the ground. He was just gorgeous.

"You know Ky, I love…" my eyes widened and I barely stopped myself from letting the words slip. _What the hell? Where did that come from?_

"You what?" he looked up at me, confusion obvious in his expression.

Panicking, I said the first thing that came to my mind. "I…love summer in South Park! Yeah it's wonderful it's never too hot and it's always so green!" I blushed and rubbed the back of my neck nervously. _Way to sound like an idiot!_

Kyle stared at me for a moment, then laughed and patted my shoulder lightly. "Dude you need sleep. I can walk the rest of the way by myself. We're close enough to the halfway point." He smiled. "Go home and sleep so that you're coherent tomorrow. You're picking me up right?"

I tried to steady my heart rate. _Holy shit, that was so close. _"Yeah, I'm getting you, don't worry. Do me a favor and text me when you're home safe ok?"

"Yeah yeah I will. I'll see you tomorrow Stan." He smiled, waved, and started towards his house. I hesitated, watching him walk away. Should I really leave him alone? I shook my head and laughed at myself. He was right, I was getting a little overprotective, and with my near catastrophic slip up tonight, I definitely needed sleep more than I thought. Once he turned the corner, out of my line of sight, I headed back for home. I let my mind go to the place I'd been fighting all night. _I love you Kyle, more than anything._

**No POV**

The black van remained hidden beneath a broken streetlight. Two people waited inside, patiently.

"Is that the target?" a cold woman's voice glided through the silence. Smoke from a cigarette filled the air in the van, slowly drifting out of the cracked window.

"Yes." The man's gruff voice was almost too low for to be heard.

"affirmative, apprehending target." The woman responded. Starting the van and following the young red head boy, undetected.


	3. Vanished

**Hey guys! I am SO sorry this took so long! Feel free to stone me to death. July is a hellish month for me but, NO EXCUSES! (accept severe writers block .) Thanks for the support so far, I appreciate it! Remember to review! ME LIKE REVIEWS! XP**

**Stan's POV**

_I felt so hot. _

_That was the first thing to register in my sluggish mind. Eyes fluttering open, I gasped for air, heart thudding hard against my chest. I found myself staring at a paneled ceiling, reflecting a rusty orange color. My eyes burned, and my blood felt painfully thick in my veins, severe dehydration setting in. _

_I stumbled up, wheezing under the weight of the stifling air, desperate for water. I became aware that I was surrounded by fire. Panic gripped my spine as I watched the flames dance in front of me. The heat was on all sides, leaving no clear cut path out of the ring of fire that surrounded me. My mind raced, trying to find a way out, when suddenly, I lost control of my body._

_ My hand reached out on its own accord, toward the burning flames. My eyes widened in terror as I got closer and closer to the blaze. Frantically I tried to fight against my renegade arm, but its will was stronger than mine. I flinched as my fingers passed through the fire, expecting searing pain, but it never came. When I chanced a glance at my hand, I was shocked to find that the flames seemed to morph around it. Finally regaining control of my appendage, I slowly moved it around, testing the fire. Everywhere my hand went, the flames would move away from it, forming a sphere around it. I flicked my wrist and, in awe, watched the blaze around me evaporate into nothing._

_ What the hell?_

_Taking a better look around, I realized I was in my old 4__th__ grade classroom, or what was left of it. The place was trashed. Desks lay burning steadily, broken in half, or mangled to the point of no return. Paper littered the floor, and the chalkboard lay on its side. The walls were either half gone or completely obliterated, revealing a dark, smoky sky._

_Looking out past the wreckage, I was met with the entrance of a maze. Curiosity won over common sense, and I, hesitantly, stepped into the maze. I wasn't sure if I was looking for water or something else entirely, but I knew that whatever it was, I'd find it in the network of walls. I slowly went deeper, all of my senses alert. _

_A flash of movement caught my eye. Whirling around toward it, I found that all was still. A rustling came from behind me, causing me to spin back the way I had been going. I turned and came face to face with a wall that hadn't been there before. I stared at it in bewilderment, before heading in a different direction. Disorientation began to set in as I paced through the maze, following an intangible force leading me to…where exactly? My need for water was steadily growing. I felt dried out and weak. Smacking my lips together to try and generate saliva was only making my insides burn slightly._

_ "Stan." An achingly familiar voice came at me from all sides. I spun around, in a fit of confusion, searching almost frantically for the source of the voice. My mouth felt chalky with dryness and my throat burned. A flurry of red curls flew by me and disappeared, turning behind a maze wall._

_ Kyle!_

_ Sprinting as fast as I could after him, I cried out, ignoring the pain engulfing my cracked throat. _

_ "Kyle! Kyle it's me! Kyle Please!" The closer I got to him the more my blood boiled under my skin. Hot. So fucking hot I'm burning up! He kept going down different turns and the walls kept moving, just out of my line of sight. I followed him desperately, catching him in a dead end. I ran straight for him. Searing pain burning down to my stomach. _

_ "Kyle!" I could almost touch him now._

_Hot! Hot! Burning! _

_He was right there! My lungs burned with agony as I reached out for him._

_I'm burning! God, make it stop!_

_I finally grasped his hand._

"_Kyle!" my joy was overridden with terror and pain; he turned to me, his lips turned up in an inhuman smirk, and his eyes glinting with a violent, fiery, red._

_ FIRE!_

I jerked awake, gasping for much needed air. Sweat covered my entire body and I felt like I was going to explode. Throwing myself out of bed, I stumbled into the hallway and went straight for the bathroom, tripping a few times as I went. Slamming my palm into the faucet handle, I drank directly from the sink. The burning heat was immediately extinguished by the cool liquid, and I groaned slightly in relief as I chugged down as much water as I could handle.

"Stanley?" the tender voice of my mother came from behind me. I took one last big gulp then turned to her. She watched me worriedly from the doorframe, clad in her robe and nightgown.

"Hey Mom." My voice cracked when I spoke; I cleared my throat and forced myself to breathe. It wasn't until then that I realized how bad I was shaking.

"Stan, honey what's the matter?" she was directly by my side. "Are you having an asthma attack?" The concern in her eyes told me that I looked like shit. I felt bad for scaring her so much, so as most guys would do I tried to brush it off.

"It's nothing Mom. I just had a nightmare. I'm fine, I swear." I forced my voice to steady and smiled weakly at her.

"Are you sure Stan? You look sick." She placed the back of her hand against my cheek, checking my temperature. I grabbed her hand and turned my face away.

"I'm really okay Mom. Don't worry." I chanced a glance up at her.

She studied me for a long moment, then sighed and stroked my hair away from my eyes.

"Try and get more sleep honey. I'm here if you need me. I love you." her words comforted me a little, and I nodded in appreciation.

"Love you too, Mom." I murmured quietly. She smiled and kissed my forehead before heading back to her room. I watched her go, making sure she had closed the door, before slumping against the sink.

"Stupid fucking dream." I hissed to no one. Rubbing my eyes, I took a few deep breathes and tried to clear my mind. _Kyle isn't usually evil in my dreams. _ I blushed and pinched the bridge of my nose, thoughts of my 'dream Kyle' flooding my mind. I tried to clear my thoughts_. I really don't need a boner right now. _

Hoisting myself up with some effort, given the weak state of my arms, I took one last mouthful of water from the sink, and then headed back to my room. My legs were still shaking and I sighed.

I hadn't been this freaked out by a nightmare in awhile. I use to get them all the time, mainly in middle school. My anxiety sky rocketed with the additional classes, sports, homework, and the fact that I had dated Wendy through that did nothing for my nerves. Plus I had been trying to deny my strong attraction to the sweet redhead I called my best friend, fraying my emotions to their fullest extent.

The last time I had such a bad nightmare, I was fourteen and Kyle had been spending the night. I woke up screaming his name, effectively scaring him awake. He panicked trying to calm me down. When soothing words and gentle coaxing didn't work, he settled with holding me and slowly rubbing my back. Of course this effectively got me back to sleep and filled my head with the kind of dreams that would get me sent to Hell, not that I minded.

The next morning Kyle asked me what had scared me so badly. I lied, telling him I couldn't remember. The truth was I didn't want to think about it, and I didn't want him to know I had dreamed of him dying in my arms. He didn't totally buy it, but he sensed my discomfort in talking about it, so it was never brought up again.

I finally managed to get to my bed, collapsing dramatically onto it and moaning in exhaustion. I was slowly drifting back to sleep.

"Hmmm, so tired…I wonder how Kyle's doing." I jumped up from the brink of sleep, remembering that Kyle was supposed to text me when he got home.

"Fuck, I passed out before I got his message." I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. I breathed deeply and glanced at the clock. 3:37, well looks like I won't be answering him.He'dbe even more pissed if I woke him up_. _I grabbed my phone, ready for four or five messages about me being a dick for falling asleep on him. When I checked it I was shocked.

No messages.

My anxiety instantly created a small knot in my stomach. Had something happened to him? Usually Kyle would send an onslaught of texts when I didn't answer him. It bothered him when he didn't get a response so he'd fill my inbox with useless texts, trying to get me to reply. At the very least he would say goodnight. My mind raced, causing my unease to worsen. I attempted to stay rational and calm.

_Ok Stan, there is definitely a logical explanation for this. Maybe your phone is acting up._ My phone would go through bouts of not receiving messages until hours after they were sent, much to my annoyance. The only way to fix it was to turn it off and back on again, something I rarely did.

"Y…yeah, it's just my phone." Fighting panic, I shut my phone off. _God, please let this work. _I left it off for a few seconds before hastily powering it up again. When it came back on, I held my breath, waiting and praying for a vibration. Five seconds past, then ten. _No no no no! _

**DINGDONG**

I nearly had a heart attack at the sound of the doorbell, dropping my phone and yelping in a very unmanly way . Realizing what the offending noise was, I composed myself slightly.

"Who the hell would be here, now?" A troubling feeling settled in my chest, and I hesitated a moment before making my way downstairs. My anxiety continued to build on itself until I felt severely weighed down by my fear. When I entered the living room I saw Kenny rubbing sleep out of his eyes, looking at the door quizzically. Cartman had a pillow over his head, and when the doorbell rang again he flipped it off childishly.

"Who the FUCK is at your house this early Stan? If it's the Jewrat I'll fucking kill him I swear to God!"

"Stan…? Stan, you ok?" Kenny watched me with concern as I stared, wide eyed, at the door. The closer I got, the more I wanted to throw up. Swallowing hard and taking a deep breath I reached out and turned the handle, swinging the door open. Two police officers stood at my doorstep. One was tall with short blonde hair and tired eyes. The other looked much younger, with brown hair and an almost friendly aura, though his eyes still showed signs of exhaustion. Both looked up instantly when I came into view.

"Hello we're looking for Stanley Marsh." The cops stared at me intently, the spinning lights from their squad car disrupting the whole neighborhoods sleep.

"Um…that's me." I couldn't comprehend everything that was happening. As I stared stupidly at the cops in front of me, my mind could only conjure up one thought. _ Please, not Kyle._

"Son, we have to ask you some questions about your friend Kyle Broflovski."

My stomach clenched painfully, and I felt the color drain from my face. I heard both Kenny and Cartman move up behind me, but it hardly registered.

"W…What about Kyle, officers, is he ok?" my voice broke, betraying my pain.

The blonde man sighed, looking at me with pity.

"Well, we found his wallet, cell phone, a jacket, and a few other articles of clothing, strung out on the street a couple blocks away from his home, but he was nowhere to be found." The cops glanced at each other, as if doubtful if they should continue. The younger one spoke his time.

"There was…blood on the clothes." My heart stopped. "He had been walking from here to his home is that correct? That's what his mother said when we spoke to her."

I wasn't listening anymore. The urge to vomit was getting stronger, and tears pricked at my eyes. _Blood, Kyle was bleeding. Kyle's gone, no phone, no wallet…no clothes._

The next thing I knew I was being supported by Kenny; Cartman took my place in the doorframe, asking questions, his tone menacing. Kenny barely got me to the bathroom in time for me to throw the toiled lid up, drop to my knees, and puke my guts out.

"Stanley? What's wrong? Kenny, can you tell me what's happening?" my mother's voice penetrated my hazy, frantic thoughts for the second time of the night. Kenny pulled her aside, explaining to the best of his ability, but the only words I caught were 'Kyle' and 'missing'.

By the time my stomach emptied itself, my mother had gone to the door to stop Cartman from yelling at the police about their incompetence. Kenny rubbed my back soothingly while I tried to catch my breath.

"Don't go jumping to conclusions Stan. This is Kyle we're talking about. He may look small and fragile, but he can take a hit and he'd never go down without a fight. He's giving whoever took him one hell of a battle right now, I guarantee it." Kenny attempted vainly to reassure me.

"Kenny, I walked away. I left him to go home, alone. If I had just stayed with him, a bit longer I…I could've-" _could've what? _The clear thought cut through the frenzy in my mind.

"Could've what Stan?" Kenny voiced my mind with a stern tone. "You can't blame yourself Dude. It wasn't your fault. Making yourself feel all guilty won't help anythi-"

"Kenny, I love him!" I felt tears roll down my cheeks as I cut him off. "I'm in love with Kyle. He's…everything to me! Don't you get it? He's my fucking world! I need him!" My heart squeezed slightly as I lost the little control I had on my emotions.

Kenny stared at me a long moment; my discomfort rising as my eyes locked with his. He sighed and dropped his head down. A he let out a small dark chuckle.

"I know you do Stan. I…I do too," My eyes widened in shock as I stared at him, at a total loss for words. His eyes were dark and his lip had gone stiff. "I love that little red head…more than anything else in my life but…I can't have him. He loves you, Dude."

The air left me and I deflated against the wall. My voice was barely above a whisper. "What did you say…?"

He smirked at me, his eyes wet. "You heard me. I confessed to him, but he loves you. He told me."

I felt the tears come faster; my mind couldn't believe it, while my heart desperately wanted it to be true. I just stared at Kenny from my place on the ground, too dazed to move. Kenny looked like he was trying to fight the tears, and losing.

"K-Kenny," I started hesitantly, unsure what to say. His head snapped up and his ice blue eyes locked with mine, burning with determination. He grabbed my arm and yanked me up on my feet.

"C'mon Stan, you gotta be strong! He needs you to be strong. He needs something to come back to, and I am not letting the man we love return to an emo pile of shit." He punched my arm slightly, giving me a weak smile. I just watched him, letting my mind catch up with me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"You're right Ken, you are absolutely right. Giving up on myself won't help anything. We have to be tough for him." I sighed and forced a brave face. I started to head back to the living room, but Kenny's hand wrapped around my wrist, stopping me. I looked back at him, confused. When my eyes met his, I saw every ounce of pain and worry he felt over Kyle. I dare say it rivaled mine. He looked much older than he was, like he'd seen a million lifetimes, never getting what he most desperately wanted.

"Take care of him, when we get him back." He said hoarsely. He was surrendering to me. I studied him, and then nodded once.

"I will Ken."

Seemingly satisfied, he let me go and made his way back to the front room to join Cartman and my mom. I stared after him, the knots returning to my stomach and heart. What if Kyle doesn't come back? _What if I never get the chance to take care of him? _

**I am soo sorry this took so freaking long! I hope it was worth the wait! R&R please!**


	4. Suspended Animation

**Hey guys! It seems the world does not want me to update! I had this half written and then a family member died, so I had to deal with the madness of funerals and family and what not. Don't worry about me, I told you that to explain my absence not so you would feel bad! Anyway I guess it actually came at the best time, for this is an incredibly angsty chapter! XP So enjoy and review please!**

Three days, Kyle had been gone for three fucking days. The police had combed the entire area, but came up with nothing. We had low expectations of the cops to begin with. So, considering that the school had been closed until further notice, Kenny, Cartman, and I gathered as many people as we could, and started our own search parties. They mostly consisted of kids from school, such as Craig, Wendy, and Butters; but we had gotten a few teachers and other citizens around town to help us search. Despite our efforts and numbers, we had yet to find any trace of the redhead. My nerves were fried due to stress and exhaustion, which made me less than easy to be around.

"Why the fuck is it taking so long Kenny? Just get the gas in the damn truck!" the Irritation was bubbling in my throat and chest like acid.

I glared at the blonde as he filled his old pick up. We were heading to the outskirts of town to search for any signs of Kyle we might have missed. We had been forced to leave the night before by our parents; they didn't want us disappearing either. My annoyance and anxiety at having to stop searching had boiled through the night, turning me into an exhausted, angry, jack ass.

"Stan, seriously dude chill, we will get out there and have plenty of time to search. Its only 7:30." Kenny's voice carried to me through gritted teeth.

I couldn't tell if his jaw was clenched because I'd pissed him off or because he was fighting with the gas nozzle, and I honestly didn't care. I just wanted to get out there and start looking for my best friend, and I felt like no one understood that simple fact.

"We'll get Jewboy back Stan." Cartman's insults had lost their bite in the days that Kyle had been gone. He sounded more tired than anything. "He wouldn't go down without one hell of a fight. We all know that."

I glanced at Cartman, feeling strangely grateful for his attempt to stay as normal as possible. I heard Kenny cuss at the gas nozzle and I remembered that they were just as stressed and worried as I was. They didn't get Kyle kidnapped and they weren't the dumb cops who weren't very good at their jobs. When Kenny got back in the truck, I grabbed both of their shoulders.

"Sorry guys." I mumbled, my guilt evident in my tone. "I'm just stressed, I shouldn't be freaking out on you."

Kenny smiled tiredly at me and Cartman rolled his eyes. "It's ok dude, we understand." The blonde's soft voice comforted me.

"The Jew wouldn't want you to be a pussy, man up!" Cartman's oh-so-eloquent conduct made me crack a smile and even laugh for the first time in days.

He smirked and clapped me on my shoulder. Kenny chuckled and started up his truck. Finally all on the same wavelength, we headed off to the outskirts of town, more determined than ever to find Kyle.

**8:54 pm**

The truck rolled sluggishly to a stop in front of the Broflovski household. Kenny put it in park and slumped dejectedly against the steering wheel. My head was resting against the passenger side window to fight off the threatening migraine, and Cartman's fists were clenched with anger and pain. None of us spoke, too disappointed in ourselves to face each other. We searched everywhere we had yesterday and any other places we'd missed, and still found nothing that got us any closer to finding Kyle. We'd failed.

"…fucking damnit." Kenny's pained voice was muffled by his arms and the steering wheel. He sat up and I could see tears glistening in his eyes. My own tears hadn't stopped since we'd left our search sight. Even Cartman had wet tracks down his cheeks. We were all starting to think the worst, though none of us had the guts to voice it. _Kyle's gone._

I couldn't take it anymore. Throwing the door open and getting out, I let all the anger and pain and fear I had kept in burst out of me.

"Are you FUCKING kidding me?" my voice carried over the mountains as I screamed in pure, emotion fed, adrenalin. I didn't know who I was yelling at, be it God or some other nameless entity, but I wasn't holding back. "You can't just take him from me! He's not a pawn in this stupid game! Damn it, give him BACK!" The tears streamed down my face. I started sobbing violently, collapsing to my knees and punching at the asphalt blindly. My heart hammered against my ribs, making it hard to breathe through my desperate cries. "I want him back home! GOD DAMN IT!"

A warm, gentle touch was on my back then, and I knew it was Kenny. I felt Cartman right behind me too, but I was too far gone to care.

"Stan…please it'll ok." Kenny's voice barely penetrated my mind, but it was enough to get me to stop thrashing. I grabbed his shirt and wept into his chest. He held me, trying to sooth me, though he was crying pretty hard himself. Cartman was holding his eyes and fighting back the shallow whimpers rising from his chest. His other hand rested on Kenny's shoulder, squeezing slightly. We stayed that way for a while, all of us trying to comfort and be comforted at the same time.

"Y-you guys, I think we should go inside and…check in." Cartman's hoarse voice beckoned us to pull ourselves together. I glanced down at my hands, and was shocked to find them covered in deep gashes and bruises. I hadn't realized just how hard I had been striking the side of the road. Kenny noticed the dripping blood and helped me up.

"Easy Stan." He led me up the driveway, treating me like I might break. My stomach churned as the blood ran down my arms, nausea taking over my already jumbled mind. We all made it into the house, catching Sheila Broflovski's eye as we headed to the kitchen. She looked worse than all of us. Her hair was disheveled and her face was gaunt. She hadn't slept or eaten since Kyle disappeared and half the time she hardly had the will to stand, let alone the energy.

"Hey boys I was gonna-" She didn't finish her thought, her eyes focusing on my battered hands. "Stanley, what happened to you?" Her voice regained a little life as she examined my hands. She sat me down at the table and hurried up the stairs for the first aid kit before she got an answer. The three of us glanced at each other, wondering what we should tell her. Cartman didn't know that I was in love with Kyle, but we all seemed to agree that telling her the truth may have negative consequences.

"I just, slid down this steep hill and jacked up my hands trying to catch myself." I lied. Kenny and Cartman stared at me; their eyes were filled with concern and I knew they must be worrying about my sanity, given that they knew the truth. I was beginning to question if I was losing my mind myself.

"Well let me fix you up." Sheila returned first aid kit in hand, and sat down by me at the dining room table. She took my hands and went about cleaning them and wrapping them. I watched her in silence. This was the most I'd seen her interact with other people in the past three days. She'd been staying busy, mostly out of the house searching, and when she was here she would hardly say a word, going to her bedroom before the sun set. I was somewhat glad that I was hurt. It gave her something else to think about. "There, all better." She smiled very slightly at her handy work, before cleaning up the table.

"Thanks Mrs. Broflovski." I could barely get my voice above a whisper.

"Of course Stanley. I take it you boys are gonna stay here again tonight?" Sheila gazed at us knowingly.

All three of us had pretty much moved in after the cops left. We'd only gone home once for clothes and toiletries. It was a comfort being in Kyle's room. As creepy as it may sound, I felt more connected with him when I was laying in his bed, smelling him on his pillow, and remembering the times he and I shared.

"Yes we'll stay." Kenny's hoarse voice answered her for me. Apparently I had zoned out completely, failing to respond to anyone.

I slumped exhaustedly; my whole body felt like lead, and I dreaded the night. I knew I wouldn't sleep and I would just feel worse tomorrow. Everyone seemed to feel the same, all drifting into our own thoughts, and the silence that came with it. When the door was slammed open it sent my tired mind reeling back to earth. I jumped up on instinct only to come face to face, with a very drunk Gerald Broflovski, stumbling into the kitchen.

"Gerald, where have you been?" Sheila's voice was shrill and laced with anger.

Her husband looked up at her and mumbled incoherently, slumping against the kitchen counter and effectively knocking a few glass cups onto the floor. The sound of shattering glass made my spine tense and I approached him cautiously.

"Sir," I looked at him, frustration filling my tone. "how much have you had to drink…?"

He smirked at me. "Well…if it ain't…the reason my son is gone…" his eyes were dark with pain and fogged with alcohol, but the words still sliced me like knives.

"Gerald! How dare you! It's not Stanley's fault!" Sheila's voice rose behind me.

"Mr. Broflovski, you're drunk. Please let me help you to your room." I growled through gritted teeth. I felt the other inhabitants of the kitchen tense around us. Gerald stumbled up, and it looked like he was going to be sick. I reached forward to hold him stay up, and the next thing I knew I was slammed hard into the front door, clutching my nose. The pain of being punched was excruciating, and through my tear-blurred vision, I could make out Gerald coming at me with his fists balled.

"Gerald STOP!" Sheila's scream was close behind him.

"Stan!" Kenny was scrambling for us, but before he could get there, Gerald had taken another swing, sending us both out the front door.

I realized in the back of my mind that he must not have made sure it latched closed. The absurd thought that he was just asking to be robbed flashed across my mind before I was harshly brought back to the situation at hand by a vicious left hook. Despite the fact that he was dirt drunk, Kyle's dad could really pack a punch. Thankfully he hadn't quite gotten a solid hit in yet.

"You Son-of-a-bitch!" He screamed angrily, his words slurring together. "He's probably lying dead in a ditch somewhere and it's all because of you!"

"I didn't do anything! Jesus Gerald get a hold of yourself!" I yelled frantically back, trying desperately to worm out of his reach. Kenny and Cartman were abruptly at my side, trying to pry him off of me.

"His blood is on your hands you murderer!" Gerald's voice carried over the houses, causing many neighbors to come out of their homes and watch the madness.

'I love your son Mr. Broflovski I would never do anything to hurt him! For god sake stop!" I jumped back, struggling up and breathing hard. My head was pounding with adrenalin, causing my heart to race.

"He's gone because of you!" He had begun to half sob, half choke. Cartman and Kenny were no longer fighting him back, but more holding him up. Sheila was shaking from distress near the door, staring almost disgustedly at her sniveling husband. Ike had come downstairs. He hadn't left his room in days, but now he stared wide eyed at me.

"What the hell is going on?" His voice was filled with fear. How had this gotten so out of control? I opened my mouth to try and calm everyone down.

"Stan."

My heart stopped its frantic beating. That voice was…

"Kyle…?" I breathed in shock. Turning around I came face to face with a battered looking, but fully alive, Kyle Broflovski. He looked flat out exhausted. Both of his eyes ringed with bags, his right eye looked swollen and red, bruises all around it. His skin was pale and his hair was dull and limp. He was wearing a long black leather robe, wrapped loosely around him, and no shoes. Dirt clung to his skin, and after a moment of staring, I realized he was shivering. He was gazing passed me toward his father, looking but not really seeing. "Kyle." I said again, my voice quivering.

His eyes locked with mine instantly, taking me off guard. Though his emerald orbs were clouded, I felt like he could see everything I was thinking. My mind was an open book to him and I had no idea how to shut it. It was the first time I had ever felt fear, looking into his eyes. Then, as quickly as they had focused on me, they cleared up and softened. He slumped against me, breathing hard and trembling.

"Wh…What…Stan…?" He looked up at me and squinted, as if I wasn't real to him. "How…what are you doing here?" His eyes widened and he sat up, looking around in panic.

"Ky, what are you talking about? We've been looking for you!" I tried to keep my voice from breaking, he had his arms around me so tightly and his fingers were digging into my shoulders.

"This…this is my house." His voice was barely above a whisper, he sounded dazed and frightened, but mostly relieved.

"Of course it's your house Ky. You walked here." I was fighting the concern welling up in my chest. He had come here himself, yet he seemed to have no recollection of doing so. "Ky, what happened to you…?"

His eyes locked back on me, but instead of distance, I saw unadulterated terror.

"Nothing." He snapped. "I just…got lost." He shoved away from me and stumbled up his walkway, ignoring everyone's questioning stares. He didn't speak, he didn't pause once. He just walked up to the house and closed the door, leaving us all dumbfounded in his tracks.

**Alright so there you go! I'm glad I got past this part! Now the story will really take off. :D Love to all! PLEASE R&R**


	5. Twisted Answers, Raising Questions

**Okay so this chapter just flowed! :D Warning you this is VERY fluffy! Enjoy guys!**

"Come on Kyle." I groaned, praying he would answer his phone.

Last night's events were almost too much for my mind to take in. After Kyle had vanished into the house, Mr. Broflovski threw up violently, causing Kenny and Cartman to drop him. Mrs. Broflovski ran after her son, and Ike ran to me. He started asking me a billion questions, but I could hardly breathe, let alone think. I heard Sheila yelling at Kyle to open his door and let her in, but he never responded. Kenny and Cartman got Gerald into his room, while I went up to Kyle's door. I sat against the door with Sheila, trying to coax my best friend out of hiding, but neither of us ever got a reply. Finally Kenny convinced me to go home for the night, let Kyle be with his family.

Being away from his house didn't stop me from texting or calling him. Of course, I also couldn't make him answer me.

"_We're sorry. The voicemail box of 'Kyle Broflovski' is full. Plea-" _I snapped my phone shut and cursed under my breath.

"Come on Ky why won't you answer!" I sighed and flopped back on my bed. I'd been trying to reach him all day. Of course news of his return had spread fast, and everyone had gone to the person they thought would have all the answers about what happened to him…me.

Between midnight and 10:30 am, I had gotten at least forty messages from all around town, all asking about Kyle. I didn't bother answering them. Mostly because it was none of their business, but even if I wanted to tell them, I didn't know what was going on myself, so they would've been disappointed.

Kyle wasn't speaking to anyone according to Ike, who was one of the three people I was talking to. His mother hadn't left his door all night, and his father had threatened to break in but neither of them could get anything out of Kyle. Ike had slipped a note under his door to which Kyle wrote back one word sentences, but that was about it.

I sighed exhaustedly, still lacking some much-needed sleep. I figured a nap might calm my nerves, so I turned on my iPod and closed my tired eyes. I had just begun to doze off when my phone buzzed. My heart skipped as I fumbled for it, thinking that it was Kyle.

"Hello?" I answered, somewhat frantically.

"Stan?" Ike's voice came from the other line. I slumped in slight disappointment.

"Ike. Is everything ok?" I asked, hearing a certain edge in his voice.

"You have to get over here now. I got Mom and Dad out of the house. Kyle only wants to talk to you. You have two hours. Hurry up!" and with that the line went dead.

"Ike? Ike! Ugh!" I snapped my phone shut and leapt up from my bed.

Grabbing my shoes I was out the front door before anyone realized I had left my room. Running to my car, I hopped in and drove off quickly towards Kyle's. Consumed as I was with the questions buzzing in my head, I hardly noticed the drive.

Kyle wanted me. Not his parents, not his brother, not any of his other friends, just me. As messed up as the circumstances were, I was filled with pride that he chose me. I loved being needed by him. That's why I was there for every nightmare, late study night, hangover, and now this.

Stopping the car, I jumped out and ran into the house, not bothering to knock.

"Ike! Ike I'm here!" I called up the stairs, trying to catch my breath. I darted up the stairs and looked around. There was no trace of the kid. "Ike!"

"He left." A calm voice stated behind me. "I asked him to give us some time alone."

I turned to face Kyle, who was clad only in sweatpants, with a wet towel slung around his shoulders. His red curls were dark and weighed down with water from the shower he had taken. He cleaned his glasses with the towel before slipping them on and smiling at me. Other than the fading bruises and slight inflammation of his right eye, he looked completely normal. My eyes roamed over his body, locking onto a few bruises and scrapes here and there.

"Uhh…Stan?" He sounded uneasy, and I realized I was staring at his half naked body.

"S…sorry." I muttered as the blood rose to my cheeks. "Just, checking the damage." I looked up to find him blushing too, his eyes avoiding mine. At least he was still smiling.

"It's fine. Come on." He laughed lightly and grabbed my hand, leading me to his room. I winced when I saw two nasty looking gashes on his shoulder blades. He seemed unfazed by my reaction.

Once safe in his room, he closed and locked the door before turning to me. "Dude it's a madhouse out there. My mom was freaking out when she left! Poor Ike, he had to handle them on his own. I felt kinda bad leaving it up to him but, I just don't wanna talk to them yet. You know how Mom gets. She won't let it rest until she has someone's head on a-"

"Dude what the hell happened to you?" I cut him off, knowing this tactic all too well. He was trying to distract me from what he knew I wanted to talk about by hooking me with a different topic. He always did this to me, and most of the time it would work, but not this time. "You've been gone for days, why haven't you talked to the police or anything?" I didn't mean to come off as angry, but I couldn't help it. He was acting like this was no big deal when it was.

He stared at me for a minute before looking down and starting to laugh. I watched him double over from laughter, bewildered. I couldn't figure out what he could possibly be laughing at, yet here he was, giggling his little ass off.

"Stan, for your sake, just believe me when I say I got lost." He was laughing so hard that I could barely understand him. He clutched his sides and dropped to his knees, face flushed with amusement.

"W…what the hell dude?" My voice rose indignantly. "Why are you laughing at me? I was worried shitless you dickwad!"

He struggled to control his chuckling, covering his mouth and forcing himself to take a few deep breathes. "Sorry Stan, I wasn't laughing at you, I just…" he slowly lost control of his chuckles. "This whole situation is so fucked up!"

"What?" I was so confused at this point. I couldn't follow him at all.

"Dude! You and I both know I didn't get fucking lost!" He was nearly crying he was laughing so hard. Back on his feet now, he was pacing and gesturing madly as he rambled and giggled. "I just can't fucking talk about it! I can't even remember anything right now! I mean what the fuck I can't even remember the past three days! Yet somehow I remember everything! It doesn't even make sense to me!"

My eyes widened as I watched his have a meltdown. He continued to ramble, his frame shaking and his breathing becoming labored.

"Kyle, Kyle! Calm down!" I grabbed his arms and pulled him to me, and noticing the tear tracks on his face. "Ky…"

"I hate lying to you Stan but…this is too dangerous." He kept his eyes down, and his voice broke. "I can't be worrying about you on top of…" he stopped and swallowed hard, taking a deep breath and composing himself a little, before looking up at me. "I just…need you to go with me on this, okay…?"

I didn't know what to say. What he was asking me to do was impossible, out of the question! Yet, as I gazed at him I saw the weight of the burden he bared clearly in his eyes. He was trying desperately to protect me from whatever haunted him. Something big had happened when he was gone, but pushing him to talk to me would get us nowhere.

"Okay." I murmured.

"Really?" he breathed in relief, his eyes softening. I felt his muscles relax under my hold.

"Really." I promised. I couldn't help myself as I gently wiped away his tears. "I'll play along but…God Ky…please be safe please."

Suddenly his arms were tight around my neck. "Thank you Stan."

I blushed, and wrapped my arms gently around him. "Anything for you Ky. Just…don't expect me not to worry."

"I won't." he smiled up at me, and the urge to kiss him became unbearable.

His eyes locked with mine, and his cheeks flushed a delicious red. I couldn't tell if I was imagining it or not, but it looked like he was leaning in; so naturally I started to lean too. Both of our eyes fluttered shut and I could feel his warm, sweet breath against my face. My heart was racing a mile a minute. We were so close our noses were touching. Sparks flew under my eyelids and butterflies exploded into my chest. Our lips touched just the slightest bit…

A loud bang against the door sent us both instantly to opposite ends of the room.

"Holy shit!" We both screamed at the exact same moment, glancing at each other then quickly away.

"Guys! Mom and Dad are coming home early! Stan needs to get out of here!" Ike's frantic voice came through the door. Kyle and I looked at each other again before running to his window. I slipped out onto his windowsill, years of practice msking the task second nature.

"Stan wait!" Kyle's voice made me freeze and I glanced up at him. He looked conflicted. "Uhh…school starts up again tomorrow. Pick me up?"

I wasn't sure whether to be depressed that he hadn't mentioned what just happened, or elated that he was acting more like his old self. "Of course dude." I smiled at him, opting for the second choice.

His cheeks went bright red and he chuckled. "Awesome, see you then!"

"See ya!" I laughed, and with that I slid down to the ground and ran off to my car, mind racing almost as fast as my heart was.

** Yay! Style love! 3 Reviews make me write faaaaasterrrr! **


	6. Lift Off

**Alright so this is where it all takes off XP Enjoy loyal fans!**

I woke up from the best sleep I'd gotten in days to a broken alarm clock and a nagging mom trying to get me to school on time. Within five minutes of stumbling groggily out of bed, I was out the door struggling with my jacket and holding a piece of buttered toast in my mouth. Leaping into my car, I sent Kyle a quick text that I was on my way, and took off down the street. I was about halfway to Kyle's house When I was hit with the memories of the previous night, specifically the part where I sorta, kinda, kissed my best firend. My heart flipped and I slammed hard on the brakes, bringing my car to a screeching halt.

"How the hell did I forget about that?" I yelled at myself in frustration. "Ugh, this is what I get for staying up so fucking late!" I smacked my head against the steering wheel, causing the horn to blare.

It was normal for me to forget things when I lacked sleep. Anything from my keys, to what day it was, but I never thought I'd be tired enough to forget the intimate moment between Kyle and I the night before.

Sighing at my own stupidity, I started driving again. The closer I got to Kyle's house the more nervous I felt. _What will he say? Will he say anything? Do I want him to say anything? _My anxiety sky rocketed as I pulled up in front of his house and honked my horn for him. I watched as he ran out with his satchel hanging on his shoulder and a half eaten apple in hand. His mother gazed at him worriedly from the living room window as he hopped in my car, but he ignored her. He waited until I had turned off his street before he let loose.

"Dude, my mom is driving me insane!" he groaned, leaning back in his seat. "She won't leave me alone!"

"Well can you really blame her dude?" I chuckled at his over exaggerated complaints, still feeling the nervousness bubbling in my throat.

"I've told her a thousand times what happened! I hadn't taken my insulin which made me disoriented and by the time I realized what was wrong and fixed it I had wandered into a place I didn't recognize! End of story!" He made his declaration clear by putting his feet up on my dashboard and crossing his arms like a child. I chuckled at him, and then fell silent in thought.

"So…is that what we're telling people…?" I asked tentatively. His eyes darkened and, for a moment, I was afraid that I had said the wrong thing.

"Yeah…that's what I've been telling everyone." He mumbled. I nodded and kept my eyes on the road, worried that he was angry. "I'm sorry Stan." He whispered.

"What?" I was caught off guard. Why was he apologizing to me?

"I wish I could tell you the truth." He looked thoughtful, leaning his head back in his seat and staring out his window. He looked more tired than he had since he came back. "Actually I really wish I could have kept my big mouth shut yesterday so that you didn't have to deal with all of my shit. You could've been blissfully unaware of anything strange going on but…I just can't lie to you I guess."

We drove in silence for a while after that; something I hoped wouldn't happen. I glanced over at him, finding his eyes closed and his brow furrowed. I realized he was fighting off tears and sighed.

"Ky…I'm glad you opened up to me." I said firmly, wanting to get my point across. "Regardless of whether or not I know everything that's going on, you still need someone to talk to. Don't try and protect me from your burden Ky. I'm not just another friend around town, I'm not your mother, I'm Stan."

He blushed and looked up at me skeptically. "It isn't your job to save me from myself Stan." His eyes fell to his lap. I sighed and pulled into a parking place in front of the school. Turning fully to face him, I cupped his face and made him look me in the eye.

"Ky you're my Super Best Friend." I murmered, grabbing his hands in an extremely gay way, but I didn't really care. "You can't expect yourself to handle everything alone, that's what I'm here for dude."

The same unbearable urge to kiss him came over me. His eyes were glinting slightly as we stared at each other. We moved slowly closer to each other, acting entirely on instinct. His cheeks flushed and my eyes closed in anticipation.

"Hey guys!" Kenny's loud voice sent me flying up with enough momentum to slam my head against the top of my car. "You're gonna be late if you don't stop making out in there!" The blonde smirked at us and hit the hood of my car before rejoining Cartman, Craig, and Tweek a few feet away.

"Fucking Kenny." I growled, rubbing my bruised head. Kyle glanced at me, and we both blushed beet red. The urge had dulled, leaving an awkward tension that neither of us were ready to address in its wake.

Kyle laughed nervously and scratched the back of his neck. "Well, I guess we should go. They're waiting for us you know."

"Y…yeah…guess you're right." I mumbled. We glanced at each other once more before hopping out of the car and joining our friends.

The rest of the day went on as expected. People hounded Kyle with questions, but after a particularly frightening, joint threat from Craig, Kenny, and Cartman, everyone backed off considerably. Through lunch, Cartman and Kyle bickered like they normally did, and everyone seemed to feel lighter now that Kyle was back. Now we were in the middle of the last class of the day; History, which Kyle and I shared.

Our teacher was droning on and on about World War II and the Red Scare, while we, the students, tried desperately to distract ourselves from mind numbing boredom. The girls sat in the back gossiping, Clyde was crumpling up small pieces of paper and throwing them to Token, and Kyle and I were sending texts back and forth like we always did.

_**Dude Wendy & Bebe r bein so annoying back here! They keep talkin about my ass! :( **_

I stifled my chuckles as I read Kyle's text. Glancing back at him, I saw him roll his eyes and smack his head on his desk and the girls broke out in a fit of giggles. Hiding my phone in my sleeve I messaged him back.

_**Its quite the ass my friend! XD Dude U wanna come over after school 2day?**_

__It took him less than a minute to text back.

_**Shut up about my ass dude -_-' Yes PLZ get me away from my freakish Mom! **_

"Mr. Marsh." The stern voice of our teacher, Mr. Hilliard came at me from the front of the room.

I flinched ever so slightly before smiling at him, laying the charm on thick. "yes sir?"

"Would you, kindly, tell me what I just said?" he glared at me, not buying my act.

I sighed and tried desperately to remember what he had been rambling about. A loud bang behind me caught everyone's attention, and I was silently thankful for the distraction, before I looked back.

"Mr. Broflovski, what seems to be the problem?" Mr. Hilliard sounded somewhat nervous as he stared at Kyle, who had shot up in his seat, clutching the sides of his desk so hard his knuckles were white. His emerald eyes were wide and unfocused and he was pale as death. I tensed up as I took in Kyle's condition.

"Ky…?" I spoke up, trying and failing to gain his attention.

"Mr. Broflovski." Mr. Hilliard's voice was harder this time.

Kyle's eyes snapped to attention. "May I go to the bathroom please!" His voice was tense to the point of quivering.

Hilliard looked more than a little taken aback. He opened his mouth a couple of times before giving up on speaking and merely nodding to the door. Kyle took off running out of the classroom, leaving everyone stunned into silence. Before I had fully formed the thought, I was running out of class after him.

"Mr. Marsh!" Hilliard called after me, but I ignored him.

Glancing down the each end of the hallway, I followed the sound of converse smacking against the floor. As I ran down the hall, I looked at the floor, a thin trail of blood leading to the boys bathroom catching my eye. My stomach churned at the sight of the blood, and my anxiety grew painful in my chest. I burst into the bathroom, looking around for bright red hair.

"Kyle?" I called, hearing my frantic voice echoing around me. The sounds of labored breathing lead me to the last stall. "Ky…?" I was almost too scared to open the door. When I finally got up the nerve to, I found Kyle, down on the floor, curled up against the wall. He was clutching his arms and rocking back and forth. "Ky, what the-?" My words stuck in my throat and my eyes widened in horror.

Blood splotches began to appear on the back of his shirt, right above his shoulder blades. His heavy breathing became shallow screams of pain as something began to move under the fresh blood marks.

I fell back against the other end of the stall, my heart pounding under my ribs and my vision blurring. Kyle howled in agony, the sound mixing with the sound of tearing fabric. I watched, paralyzed, as three long metal blades sprouted from his back, dripping with crimson blood. His scream became so full of anguish; it knocked me out of my trance.

"Kyle!" I cried, grabbing his arm. "What's happening? What can I do? Ky talk to me!"

But, despite my plea, all he seemed to be able to do was to wail in distress. His hands clutched my shirt as more blades shredded threw his flesh. I became hysterical as I tried vainly to calm him down.

Out of the blue, he stopped screaming, and went limp in my arms. I couldn't even feel him breathing.

"Ky? Kyle?" I shook him violently, disregarding the cuts I got on my hands from the blades.

His head shot up abruptly, and he stared blankly past me. His eyes were wide and empty; the right one seemed to have a glowing, red, lining around the dilated pupil.

"Kyle?" my voice sounded far away. So much was happening and I was beginning to feel woozy.

"Mission accepted." His voice was as dead as his eyes. "Departing now."

"What…?" My voice was weak, and I felt like I was going to be sick.

Confusion was replaced with panic as we blasted through the roof of the school. I screamed in shock as the wind rushed past my face, my stomach flipped over and the breath was knocked out of me as we dived down before straightening out. It took me a moment to realize that we were flying, _REALLY _flying. The blades that had shredded through Kyle's skin and clothes were now acting as wings, propelling us through the sky faster than I thought possible.

I stared, bug-eyed, at the ground as it got further and further away. Kyle's hands that had been clutching my shirt in panic now held onto it with a vice-like grip. Unable to do anything else, I wrapped my trembling arms around his neck and closed my eyes tightly, gasping for air and trying not to throw up.

"Kyle! KYLE!" I screamed in his ear, trying to make him look at me. He didn't react to me in any way; he just stared straight ahead as we rocketed through the sky, leaving South Park, Colorado in the dust.

**Poor Stan is just as confused as you guys are! XD maybe even more so! Reviews make me smile and smiling makes me write! :P ok that was lame but…please review!**


	7. Clashing Metal

** For the record…I HATED this chapter it was such a pain! I hope it's better than I think it is! Anyway enjoy!**

With all of the things that happened in South Park on a regular basis, you'd thing I'd be use to weird. In fact I _was _use to weird, most of the time I was really good with weird; but there was something about watching metallic wings sprout from my best friend's back, and then being dragged away from my home town at a speed that should have killed me, that just wasn't sitting well with me.

At some point or another I had lost consciousness. Groaning at the pounding in my head my eyes fluttered open weakly against the harsh wind battering my face. The first thing that startled me was the fact that the sky was under me and the ground over me.

"What the fuck?" My throat felt cracked and raw, but the words still came out loud and frantic. I flailed in fear, my head smacking against something warm and firm.

"Your heart rate has spiked Stanley." A calm detached voice came to me through the air, rumbling against my ear.

"Kyle?" I questioned dumbly. His arms tightened around me. I distantly wondered when he had gone from clutching my shirt in a death grip to holding me securely yet gently in his arms. His eyes were still dead but he was responding to me a little. Realizing this, I tried getting his full attention. "Kyle, dude look at me come on. W…where are we going Ky?"

"I can not disclose the information you seek." He responded in a monotone. I slumped against him dejectedly. I wasn't going to get any answers from him, I found myself staring at his wings. Despite the fact that they were indeed shards of metal, their movements were slow and graceful. They adjusted easily to the air around them, keeping us steady. They reflected Kyle perfectly.

I tore my eyes away from them and glanced down. Under us were miles and miles of sand dunes. That was all I could see as I gaped at the ground. We weren't very high up, maybe seventeen or eighteen feet above the sand, and the sun was beating down on us without mercy.

"Where are we…?" I murmured mostly to myself.

Before any response came to my half-voiced question, a bang resonated from somewhere around us and a sharp pain bit into my calf. Kyle tensed and shot up into the sky sharply and quickly, giving me no time to react to my pain. He began to spiral as more loud pops followed the first. My body seized up when I realized that the sound was bullets being fired, and that each was missing us by mere inches as Kyle maneuvered expertly through them. He swerved and flipped like a fighter jet, his body completely relaxed and his eyes never changing. The only stress that I felt was in his arms, which were still securely around me.

"Jesus Christ!" I heard myself scream as I clung franticly to Kyle's slender shoulders.

Kyle's right arm let me go, causing me to dangle slightly. Confused and scared I grabbed for his arm, but when I made contact, it wasn't skin or cloth I touched, but cold metal. To my horror, Kyle's arm was gone; in its place was a large machine gun complete with a long chain of bullets. Shots began to fire back and forth around us. Looking back I finally saw our attacker. He looked young, maybe twelve. His hair was dark and dirty and his eyes a murky brown. He too had metal wings, but they were shaped differently; less graceful than Kyle's, with jagged, uneven edges. He swerved out of the bullets range and launched straight at us.

"Stanley drop." Kyle ordered mechanically in my ear.

"What?" I was confused, until I lost my grip of his neck and fell right before the younger boy slammed into him with a sickening crunch.

I braced myself and somehow managed to land on my side, rolling safely down into one of the sand dunes. The sound of clashing metal and gunshots rang out above me; I watched dumbfounded as Kyle was pounded deep into the ground by the mystery boy. They rolled through the choking dust before swerving up into the air again, entwined in a death match. They zoomed right over my head, almost slamming into me, then they launched upward.

"Kyle, stop! You're gonna get yourself killed!" I called to him, trying vainly to run through the sand to the battle. "KY-!" a hand smacked over my mouth and I was tackled down to the ground before I could finish yelling to him.

A gruff voice growled in my ear. "You are the one who's gonna get him killed if you don't shut up, kid."

I grabbed the foreign arm and tried to yank it away from my mouth, cursing and flailing madly. My protests were ignored as I was carried toward what looked like a large rigidly shaped hole carved out of the sand. My struggles died down from exhaustion as I was dragged down into a huge warehouse looking thing, the sounds of battle fading considerably. It looked as if there were at least fifty people bustling around, speaking to each other in brisk tones and watching large computer screens filled with numbers and codes.

"What the fuck is this…?" My words were still muffled by the large gloved hand; I didn't expect anyone to hear me.

"Don't speak kid you're losin' blood." The gravelly voice that belonged to the hand murmured quietly. I groaned; how many times had I bled profusely in the past week and a half?

I was placed on a hard table; the cool metal made the pounding in my head dull slightly. I thought about all that had happened recently; I couldn't seem to catch a break. One minute I'm sitting in history class, the next I'm surrounded by people I don't know, bleeding, while my best friend turned terminator fought for his life. At least it felt like it had all happened that quickly. For all I knew we could've been gone for days…weeks. Or maybe I was just dreaming and I'd wake up with my old bed, my old best friend, my old life.

My wishful thinking was interrupted when a man approached me. He was about a head taller than me with an extremely broad chest. His arms were so muscular, they flexed with every move he made. He looked older, maybe in his forties, and his blonde hair was sticking straight up in an overgrown buzz cut. His eyes were an intense, almost white, ice blue, and a long scar trailed down from his left eyebrow to his chin.

"Here. This'll help the pain kid." He handed me three white pills and a bottle of water. I stared at them skeptically, causing him to roll his eyes. "They're just aspirin kid. I'm not trying to kill you."

I reached out and took the pills cautiously. I didn't realized how thirsty I was until I took a sip of the water for the pills. Chugging down the rest of the bottle in one gulp, I watched as the man got me another one.

"The desert will dehydrate you." He murmured gruffly, handing me the full water bottle. I realized that his had been the voice that I heard outside and choked a little. This was the guy who had taken me from Kyle. My mind began racing and I leapt up, only to fall into the shoulder of my capture.

"Woah! Easy there kid. You took a shot. It just grazed you but it did enough damage." He forced me back on the table, grumbling about me being stupid and needing to relax.

"Why did you bring me here? Where's Kyle? Damnit he needs me! You saw what was happening I can't just leave him out there alone!" My patience snapped as I yelled and tried to get up despite my bloodied leg.

"Jesus you're annoying. Look, even if you were out there, is there really anything you can do?" Mr. Buzz Cut gave me a look as he spoke. He then turned his attention to my leg.

"It doesn't matter!" I cried frantically. "He's in trouble! Get the fuck off of me!"

I tried to shove him away but he didn't even budge. He cleaned out my wound, making me wince and shrivel back in pain. He didn't say anything, even as he finished wrapping me up. I could feel the other people around watching me intently. I slumped down self consciously.

"99 is the winner!" the woman's voice caused all of us to glance in her direction. She was wearing a long lab coat and oversized glasses. Her expression was that of excitement, and soon everyone matched her enthusiasm.

"I told you that was the model! Our best yet!"

"I wonder how quickly it destroyed 84. That one was strong."

"I hope the host's body is salvageable. It would make faking the death easier."

I was confused by the numbers, but I had a feeling it had something to do with Kyle. "What's happening?" I asked the man who had dragged me here.

"Open the hatch for 99! Get the medics down here ASAP…and recover the remains of 84. We need a cover story for the family." He completely ignored me, instead addressing his colleagues.

"Hey Buzz Cut! Answer me!" I growled in frustration and fear.

"First off my name is General Conner," He glared at me as he spoke. "Second of all, you shouldn't even be here, so if you want to make it out alive, I suggest you keep your mouth shut." With that he left me at my table, confused, frightened, and slowly getting angrier. I had been dragged through hell and back and kept in the dark for far too long. It was time for me to get some answers.

"Hey!" I yelled, trying to get anyone's attention, but they were all murmuring excitedly and rushing to the hatch door. I jumped down and was about to start shouting, when I overheard one of the conversations over the buzzing.

"Did was 84 the red-head? I can't remember which host was which." The young girl who spoke was wearing a black pantsuit, murmuring to a man in slacks and a grey jacket.

"I don't remember either. The scientists never keep us up to date on that stuff. It's not that important anyway, we can get another one." He replied offhandedly.

My stomach dropped as everything clicked. I glanced around slowly, my fears being confirmed when I looked closely at the computer screens I'd disregarded before. There were charts of the human body on almost every screen. They showed different layers of the body, like the kind you study in high school; one of the skeletal structure, one of the circulatory system, and so on. The only difference was that in every chart, the body's systems were overlapped with machinery. The charts had guns over arms, lasers connected to eyes, and large metal wings protruding from the spine.

"Oh my god." I breathed.

My heart stopped for a moment and I stumbled back. These people were the ones who took Kyle. They had done something to him that involved those charts; and now they were talking about 'hosts' and 'remains' and 'cover stories'. Covering for the remains of…what exactly?

Fear gripped my heart as I pushed forward through the crowd. My initial intentions were completely gone, replaced with the intense need to get to Kyle. As I pushed to the front, the large hatch opened, revealing the blinding sunlight. I couldn't make anything out through the light at first. Shielding my eyes, I took a step forward, ahead of everyone else. The silhouette of a person became somewhat visible, the guns and metal distorting the image slightly. Apprehension attacked my heart as I tried to find any indication of if it was, or wasn't, Kyle. The metal wings folded into themselves, relaxed but still available if needed. That's when I saw the unmistakable green jewels, glimmering with vague awareness.

I nearly drowned in relief. "Kyle!" I breathed, stepping forward. "Thank god you're alright!"

He looked at me, his eyes searching mine slowly and confusedly. "Stan…what're you…doing…? Unit…84…destroyed…" he mumbled incoherently and turned his eyes away from me.

"Ky?" I questioned cautiously. He swayed and then collapsed. I barely had time to catch him before he hit the floor. "Oh shit! Kyle come on wake up…Jesus." I murmured worriedly.

General Conner slipped the babbling scientists, who fell silent as he approached us. I held Kyle closer before looking up at him. He glared at me for a moment, as I glared right back. When I spoke, my words were low, and filled with disdain. "I want answers…Now."

**GAH! This chapter would NOT be written without a fight T.T I am sooooo sorry for the long wait. I hope to get better at that . anyway I know this chapter is a bit of a let down but I promise it'll get better! Reviews make me happy!**


	8. Escape

**Okay guys. I am so sorry about how long this took me to write. Please don't stone me to death although I know I deserve it! I have good news! The next chapter is already in the process of being written so it shouldn't take me nearly as long as this one did! Anyway thank you for your patience and I hope it was worth the wait. I love you guys! -Spottedleaf900**

The muffled beeping of Kyle's heart monitor was the only thing keeping me awake. As angry and scared as I was, my body begged for sleep. My muscles were achy and I could feel every pulse of my heart in my head. It felt like it had been a few hours since the fiasco in the military base, but for all I knew it could have been a few days, months, seconds. My concept of time was totally screwed up.

I gazed at Kyle through the large fiberglass cell his bed was in. He was on his back, still unconscious. The sheet provided little coverage, which allowed all of the tubes and monitors on him to be clearly visible. The oxygen mask made him look so fragile.

He hadn't woken up since he had come in from the harsh desert. My heart clenched at the thought of Kyle fighting so ruthlessly. I was so confused and scared by what I had witnessed. The interaction I had just had with the general wasn't helping my nerves at all.

"_What the fuck is going on?" I screamed in blind rage as I was ushered into a small room with a desk and a long window that showed what looked like an operating table. Kyle had been pried from my arms by a group of scientists._

"_Come on kid." General Connor growled before grabbing me by my shoulders and quite literally dragging me into the confined room. _

_He locked the door on us before turning to me. "Relax." He stated simply before crossing over to the window._

"_No! I will not fucking relax! Where is Kyle, what did you do to him?" My voice was breaking from anger. _

_He sighed before turning to me again. His eyes were glazed over and tired. "How did you even get here kid?"_

_I was taken aback by his question. Anger still boiled in me as well as fear. "Kyle brought me here! He was screaming and he grabbed my shirt and then…next thing I knew we were in the fucking air!" _

"_Wait," He looked at me in shock. "You're telling me that you were flying with the weapon?" _

_ "His name…is Kyle." I growled, glaring daggers at him through my bangs. _

_My head was pounding and I felt fatigue overtake my system, but the rage that was building in my stomach was much stronger than my physical needs. The general was suddenly in my face, making my breath hitch slightly. Being around these people had me on edge. Fear for my own life was beginning to fill me the longer I was stuck in this hell, and I desperately had to get both me and Kyle out of here. "Get out of my face!" I shouted without thinking._

_The next thing I knew my back was against the wall and I had a great weight on my chest. "Answer me." Connor's voice was filled with an urgency that unsettled me. "You were flying with the weapon? Were you?" _

"_Y-yes!" I stuttered. _

After that he had released me and stormed out of the room, leaving me alone to calm my pounding heart. A little while later I had been let out of the room and taken to Kyle, and that's where I was now. I sighed and slumped against the fiberglass.

"Ky, I'm here don't worry. I won't leave you." I murmured, knowing he couldn't hear me but taking comfort in talking to him.

The heart monitor continued to beep steadily, lulling me into the closest thing to sleep I could reach. Then the door opened and I shot up, ready to defend myself and Kyle.

"Calm down kid it's just me." General Connor grunted as he kicked the door closed behind him. His arms were filled with what looked like clothes and a few large boxes.

I relaxed slightly against Kyle's enclosed bed and attempted to sooth my throbbing head by rubbing my temples. "What's all that?" I asked weakly.

Connor busied himself with opening the boxes and setting out the clothes while he talked. "We're sending you home kid. These are some supplies to get you there and we've already handled the cover story for your family and school. Now put on these clothes and we'll get you to the chopper."

I was shocked for a moment, relief flooding my tired brain. We weren't going to die here. "We can go home? Really!" I turned quickly to a still unconscious Kyle. "Dude we're going home!" Suddenly a heavy hand was resting on my shoulder, causing me to jump slightly.

"You, Kid. YOU are going home. 99 needs to stay here for testing and further tweaking to the system data base." The general's gruff voice made my blood run cold.

My mind was working so hard to keep up that it took me a second to register why I was angry. I shrugged off his hand as realization set in, and I attempted to block the bed as best I could. "I'm not leaving Kyle."

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into Kid." Connor's eyes narrowed and his voice was low with warning.

My heart rate sped up, fear gripping my spine. My instincts screamed at me to leave, but my heart won out easily. I simply wouldn't leave without Kyle. "I'm NOT leaving him." I said again. My voice was steady and strong, a fact that surprised me momentarily.

General Connor stepped closer, locking his hard eyes with mine. "You don't have a choice in the matter kid."

"I beg to differ." I challenged, again surprised by my own boldness.

Connor took another step toward me. My eyes frantically darted around the room, searching for something, anything, that I could defend myself with.

"Stan…?" a weak voice caused both me and the general to turn our attention to the bed. Happiness swelled in my chest as I found myself staring into half lidded jade eyes. Kyle looked around sluggishly, the monitor showing an increase in heart rate. His eyes slowly grew wider with confusion. "What…? Wasn't I just in the bathroom? Stan….Stan walked in and saw…" He whimpered and held his head, his eyes closing tightly in pain.

"Kyle! You're awake!" My voice broke with my outburst.

Kyle's head snapped up and focused on me instantly. Shock filled his eyes, followed by confusion, then realization, and finally settled on pure horror. The beeping of the monitor sped up with his emotions.

"Stan you-you're here! How did you get here?"

"You brought him here 99, we told you to be discrete." General Connor's voice was suddenly right behind me, and I flipped around to face him, gritting my teeth.

"I did?" Kyle's voice rose in pitch, something that only happened when he was in distress or angry. "Sir please let him go please! It's not his fault he has nothing to do with it!"

"We have arranged for him to go home, but he's being uncooperative." Conner glared at me. I glared right back, still blocking him from Kyle.

"I'm NOT leaving him!" I stressed again.

"Stan you have to go!" Kyle's voice rose again. I turned to him, not believing what I was hearing.

"What? Ky, I'm not going anywhere! These people are doing awful things here and they'll kill you!"

Kyle's eyes locked with mine. "Stan you have to go. You don't understand. Please go I promise I'll come back."

"I'm not leaving you!" I retorted, feeling anger well up inside my stomach. "Do you even realize what they did to you?"

"Yes." He stated simply, holding my gaze. I was confused and angry, but the hurt I felt from his words was what I felt the most. Kyle was willingly doing this? He was letting himself be torn apart and sacrificed?

"Kyle…no. No I'm not leaving!" I shouted frantically. The room was suddenly filled with people, all of them grabbing me. "No let me go!"

"Stan!" I could hear Kyle banging on the glass around his bed.

"What is the meaning of this?" General Conner's voice rose over the voices of the other soldiers. "I didn't order you to detain him."

"Sorry sir. We got orders from the higher-ups to take him out." One of the men holding my feet answered. Panicked, I fought harder against the hands holding me, but to no avail.

"They said we could let him go." Conner countered, frustration evident in his voice.

"We have to bring him to the loading dock, sir. O'Donnell's orders."

"Damn it." Conner seethed. "How many innocent lives is O'Donnell gonna take to protect his stupid title. Fucking bastard!"

As the two military men argued, the other soldiers began to drag me out.

"No no please! Let go!" I screamed desperately.

A sudden explosion from Kyle's room sent the soldiers to the ground, causing them to drop me. My skull collided with the ground inharmoniously, causing my vision to blur and my ears to ring.

"What the fuck was that?" One soldier yelled to the others as he scrambled up with a handgun drawn. The others followed suit, blocking my view from the ground.

"It's 99!" another murmured in fear.

My heart hammered when I saw a familiar set of metal wings above the heads of the soldiers.

"Let Stan go." Kyle's voice rang loud and clear. The soldiers tensed in front of me as I struggled to my feet.

He stared them down, anger burning deep in his eyes. I tried to shove past to him, but was stopped by one of the men closest to me.

Kyle's eyes flared at the action. "If you touch him, I swear to god it'll be the last thing you ever do." His voice was low and menacing. The man paused in his actions, seeming frozen in fear. I watched him intently before daring to take a step toward Kyle.

Many things happened all at once then. The soldier reached out to grab my arm, a loud crash resonated through the hallway and I was suddenly drenched in something warm while simultaneously being lifted off my feet.

"Shit!" I yelped, grabbing onto Kyle's shoulders as we flew fast through the hallways.

"Hold on." He murmured in my ear.

I heard gunshots bouncing off the walls around us and ducked my head into Kyle's chest, closing my eyes tightly. He maneuvered us through corridors and gunshots easily, yet it felt different compared to the last time we were like this. I could feel him breathing hard and grunting with every turn. His eyes were wide and desperately searching for something.

"Stop them now!" Someone yelled angrily from below. More gunshots followed the order.

Kyle dove into a spiral, clutching me to his heaving chest. I felt his arms shaking with effort and took the initiative, securing my arms around his torso so that I was supporting most of my weight.

"Don't let them get to the hatch!" another voice cried out, but it was too late. Kyle rose his right arm turned gun and shot at a control panel, causing the hatch to open just in time for us to fly out into the open sky.


	9. Close Encounters

**Okay I know it's been a long time and I'm REALLY sorry! Please enjoy!**

As the base's entrance got further and further away, my chest seemed to unclench and I released a breath I didn't even know I was holding.

"You…alright Stan?" Kyle murmured against my ear, his voice shaking weakly. It took me a second to be able to speak, and when I did it was barely a whisper.

"Yeah I….think so." I said as I glanced down at myself. My eyes widen in shock and a wave of nausea overtook me for a moment. I was covered in blood; so much blood that it soaked through to my skin and made me shiver. For half a moment I thought it was mine, and then I remembered the soldier who had touched me. Kyle had held true to his threat.

"He didn't feel anything." Kyle's voice was strained and weak. He obviously realized what had triggered my panic. His eyes, though still human, were dark with a deep sorrow that I wish he'd never had to feel. I was wracking my brain for something, anything comforting to say, when I felt his grip on me loosen. Looking up at him, I realized how pale he was…how weak he looked.

"Kyle? What's wrong?" I attempted to make him focus on me as we started to lose altitude.

"I…can't…stay in control….not suppose to…" He choked on his words as we dropped faster.

"What?" I shook him frantically, trying to get him to respond. "What do you mean?" The ground approached fast and I held onto Kyle's lanky frame tightly, bracing for impact. _God, please I don't want to die like this!_

I felt my stomach lurch as we pulled sharply out of the fall and blasted forward, full speed. Kyle's arms held me with renewed strength. He stopped gasping and wheezing and his heart rate went back to normal almost instantly.

"What just happened?" I looked up at him again. My heart flipped when I saw the same robotic gaze and eerie red glow in his right eye I'd seen in the bathroom. My mind finally gave into pure overload, and I blacked out in Kyle's iron grip.

_The walls of the maze were so narrow; I had to walk sideways to get through. Wandering aimlessly through the hallways, I felt the heat begin to grow in my stomach. I had to find water, water and….something else, something infinitely important. Why couldn't I remember what it was? It was everything. I felt dry and exhausted. Where was my Everything? _

_ I heard a faint whirring sound behind me. It was there! My life force, my Everything was behind me! Turning and running felt like it happened in slow motion. I couldn't make myself move faster and all I could hear was the whirring noise and my own heart, thudding painfully in my chest. Water, god I needed water. I was so close to rounding the corner and finally seeing the thing I was looking for. So close…almost!_

_ My vision was suddenly red and my body exploded with heat as I watched the metal wings, still dripping with blood, rise above me. I screamed as I watched the corpse rise with them, but no sound came out. His eyes were dull and lifeless; his body destroyed. _

_ The sound of my heart became unbearably loud, speeding too fast for the slow motion world. It hurt, I hurt! With the force of a freight train, the figure took to the sky, leaving me in the burning fire._

I shot up, screaming. My skin was too hot and my throat was raw. A cool hand clamped over my mouth and a voice whispered to me.

"Shh, Stan it's okay…! Please don't scream you'll wake your parents…!" Kyle held me tightly, and the sound cut off in my chest. I gasped for air, desperate for water. Looking around my all too familiar room, I tried to regain control of my muddled thoughts long enough to speak. "Stan what are you looking for?" Kyle's face was white with worry as I searched for the words I needed.

Finally, I looked into his wide, beautiful eyes, and form a true thought.

"Water…" I croaked, swallowing painfully.

Kyle relaxed and stroked my hair gently before getting up and leaving the room. He was back before I had time to calm my pounding heart, with a glass of ice water. I took it quickly, shaking as I downed the whole thing. The cool of the liquid soothed my throat and put out the fire in my chest. I sighed and calmed down enough to think semi clearly.

"What…time is it?" I murmured, looking around for my phone.

"It's about three in the morning…" he broke off in hesitation. "…On Friday." He finished. My eyes widened slightly.

Friday? That didn't make sense; it was only Monday last time I'd checked. _Wait._ The memories flooded back so fast I felt woozy again. _We had been in school. Kyle had come back and we were in school. Then there was metal, and blood, and those scientists. We had flown. Kyle had flown and I had been with him…_

"Oh God…" I murmured. "We…we were….you were….what….what the hell happened?" Kyle clamped his hand over my mouth as my voice rose.

"Shhh…I know Stan." He looked at me pleadingly. "God I'm so sorry I dragged you into this shit. I'm so sorry." His eyes clouded with tears, and my confusion waned away, guilt taking its place. Kyle's hand slid off my mouth as he tried to stay calm. "I just wanted you to be safe. All I wanted to do was protect you and…now I have…I…" He gritted his teeth, his emotions overwhelming his control.

"Kyle no." I whispered, pulling him to me. As he cried silently into my chest I searched for something brilliant to say that would make everything better, but it never came. So instead I tightened my arms around him and held still. We stayed like that for a while, even after he had finished crying. His breathing had slowed down to the point that I thought he'd fallen asleep. I was contemplating laying back with him when his hand suddenly moved up my chest.

"Stan?" he mumbled quietly.

"Yeah Ky?" I looked down at him, feeling myself blush as I noticed for the first time how close we actually were. He raised his eyes to meet mine, making my heart pound. His gaze was filled with so much, and as we stared at each other, the energy between us seemed to spark with intense electricity.

"Stan…" he said again, but this time his tone was husky and deep with something that sent chills down my spine.

I took a shaky breath and fought to keep my head clear. Everything that we'd been through in the past few days, all the questions I had, it was nothing compared to the feelings swirling up to the surface now. I didn't even notice we were getting closer to each other until his eyes fluttered closed. I finally gave into the moment and let my own eyes close. I could feel his breath we were so close; there was no turning back…

"Staaan!" My father's loud voice shattered the moment like glass. Both our eyes shot open and our heads whipped to the door at the same time. It suddenly occurred to me that we had disappeared for almost four days and my parents had no idea where I was.

"Kyle what the hell do we tell our parents?" I whispered urgently. When I turned to look at him I found him crawling out my window.

"Yeah about that," he grunted as he grabbed onto the tree. "I told our parents that I…tried to run away and you followed me. Technically I'm grounded and you are too; I had to pretend to be you on the phone when I called your Mom and I'm not as good at smooth talk as you are. You're only grounded for a week though since you were technically on a 'rescue mission'" He looked at me apologetically. "I'm sorry I…I gotta go." He sounded like he really wished he didn't have to, almost as much as I did. "See you in a few hours." He slid down to the ground quickly and took off down my street, turning and waving before running out of sight. I stared after him, completely dazed and befuddled.

"What?" I growled in confused aggravation.

"Don't take that tone with me Staaan!" My Dad's voice was right outside my door now. I had just enough time to shut my window before he came in, clad in only his underwear, obviously groggy and pissy.

"Er….sorry…Dad." I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "What's up?"

"I heard voices!" He spoke loudly. "I swear I heard them!" He slurred.

"Randy!" My mother was behind him now, looking annoyed. "For the love of God, stop shouting!" She snapped at him.

"Sharon! There was someone in here I heard it!" He insisted in a childish manner. My mother let out a heavy sigh and rubbed her face exhaustedly.

"Randy," She groaned. "You were dreaming. Please just….please go back to bed." She pushed him toward the bedroom, giving me a look. "I swear I don't know how I survive in a house full of boys. Go to sleep Stanley." She sighed before closing my door.

I stared at the doorframe for a little bit before turning back to the window. I was still trying to process everything that had happened since I woke up. Finally I flung myself back on the bed in exasperation.

Not only did I have more questions than I'd ever be able to put into words, but I also had to deal with my parents being stupid, and I had yet another near kiss encounter with Kyle plaguing my mind. Bewilderment, aggravation, and intense sexual tension were now swirling through my brain. I'd never get to sleep.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

**I'm alive! I know you all wanna kill me and I don't blame you. I have had a crazy few months, but I promise I didn't forget about you guys or this story! I hope this chapter makes up for it! I love you guys and I have more time which means more writing! Reviews make me super happy so please review please please please! Love to all 3**


	10. Stalling

I walked sluggishly to the bus stop, groaning with each step. My parents had taken away my car privileges as punishment for disappearing, so I was now forced to ride the old school bus again. I had wasted no time getting out of the house in the morning, partly because I didn't want to deal with my parents asking me questions about my 'rescue mission', and partly because I was desperate to talk to Kyle. He'd gotten his phone taken away by his mother and I knew he'd be there early too, also avoiding crazy parents.

I was exhausted and extremely sore from everything that had happened. I had to attempt to rewrap my wounded leg when in the bathroom and I limped slightly from the pain of the gunshot. My body was covered with bruises and my hands, barely healed from the breakdown I had on the side of the road, had been cut deeply by Kyle's blades. My mind was buzzing with questions and worries, and as the bus stop came into view, I felt my anxiety spike. No one was there.

I sighed shakily and slumped against the sign. God, I just wanted Kyle. I wanted to see his bright eyes and vibrant curls. I wanted to make sure he was alive and well. Mostly, I wanted to talk to him about the feelings that had now overwhelmed me. I couldn't just ignore them anymore; after all the close calls we'd had, with both our lives and our lips, it was time to address them. He had been about to kiss me back all three times…at least that's what I'd thought. We'd both come so close to dying; I just couldn't wait for his next near death experience.

Not that I had any idea what I was going to fucking say but, damn it, I had to try.

I thought through all of this as I rubbed my tired eyes, trying to rid myself of the headache that had settled behind my right eyebrow.

"You look great." A weak chuckle sounded behind me. I turned to see a very tired, but smiling, Kyle. My heart skipped a beat and the headache waned away as I looked into his glittering eyes.

"Right back atcha." I tried to joke back, but it came out breathy and shaky, more honest than I'd hoped. He blushed and averted his eyes while I rubbed the back of my neck and cleared my throat. "So…um…" I searched for a way to break the tension.

"Stan…" His whisper made me look back into his eyes. "We need to tal-"

"I know." I stepped forward, cutting him off. "I….I know we do." He smiled nervously at me and I tried to smile back. "Kyle I need to tell you-" Suddenly, a decent sized snowball made contact with the back of my head.

"Hey, Asshole's! Where the hell were you two?" Kenny's voice penetrated deep into my spine and I sighed. Kyle gave me an apologetic look before I turned to face the blonde.

"Hey Ken." I sighed. He was smiling as he approached, but I noticed his eyes scan over us quickly, lingering on my newly injured hands and Kyle's tired features. He had to have been really worried about us. I felt bad for scaring him, but I had no words of comfort for him; I didn't even know how to comfort myself.

"So you gonna tell me the dirty details guys?" Kenny's smirk was wide and mischievous as he pulled us both in under his arms. Kyle winced in pain, making us both freeze and stare at him. He laughed as he slid out from Kenny's hold but I could tell it was forced. His face was pale and he looked like he was choking back a whimper.

"Trust me Ken." He coughed, trying to disguise it as a laugh. "You can't handle the details."

Before any of us had time to say anything else, the roar of yelling high school students filled the air as the bus pulled up to us.

"GET ON THE BUS! WE'RE RUNNIN' LATE!" Ms. Crabtree's shrill voice made me remember how much I missed my car. We filed on without another word. Kyle slipped into the back and sat against the window, leaning on the cool glass and closing his eyes. I sat beside him, watching him worriedly. He was obviously in a lot of pain and I had no idea how to help him, so I sat helplessly beside him. Kenny's eyes burned with questions, and I was getting increasingly more nervous as he stared at us. Finally we got to the school and got off the bus.

"Stan I can't be late for calculus." Kyle had turned to me and smiled. "We'll talk later okay? I promise." With that, he took off through the crowd toward his class. I tried to think of something worthwhile to say, but all that came out was a feeble…

"Yeah, bye!"

I watched him disappear. Sighing I turned to go to my own class. A hand grabbed my upper arm and dragged me behind the wall outside the school.

"Alright Stan you've got to tell me what the hell is going on." Kenny's voice was laced with annoyance.

"Gah! Relax dude let go of my arm!" I fought against him before he whipped me around to face him, his face stern.

"Will you please tell me what the fuck happened?" His tone was frantic. I sighed and rubbed my neck.

"Ken, not now okay I've had a rough week." I mumbled. Suddenly he had me pushed up against the wall, glaring at me with intense anger.

"You've had a rough week?" He shouted, causing some people to glance at us. "How the FUCK do you think my week's been, Stan? My two best friends on the whole fucking planet just disappear! Rumors spread that they're dead! Everyone asking me what happened to you guys!" I watched in shock as tears welled up in his eyes. He looked down, shaking with emotion. "Damn it."

"Ken…" I sighed and took his hands off my shoulders. "Look, I can't explain-"

"Bullshit!" He growled, yanking his hands out of my grip. "You are hiding something from me! Fuck you Stan!" He turned to walk away. I grabbed him and stopped him.

"Ken let me finish! I can't explain because I don't even know what's going on." I insisted. He looked at me skeptically, but he stayed silent so I continued. "All I knew was that…well that he couldn't be alone. I just got…er…dragged along." I finished. It wasn't a complete lie, and it seemed to be enough for Kenny because he relaxed a little.

"I'm worried Stan…" He admitted. "Kyle looks terrible. I mean the kid was already a fucking stick but now it's getting ridiculous." He rubbed his head.

"I'm gonna be talking to him today." I tried to reassure him. "Hopefully, I'll get some answers." He hesitated for a moment, before sighing and punching my arm softly.

"You'd better, asshole." He laughed weakly. I smiled patted his back. "Just…do me a favor Stan." He looked at me seriously. "Next time you disappear…just …warn me okay?"

I chuckled. "Will do Ken." With that we went our separate ways.

I was late to class, not that I particularly cared; in fact it was a bit of a blessing. My classmates all stared at me with questioning looks, but since we were in the middle of class, they had little time to actually converse with me. I finally had a chance to clear my head a little. I had to think about what I would say to Kyle when we did talk. What did I want to ask about first? Either way, it was going to be a very uncomfortable conversation.

School went by sluggishly, and I became antsy as I watched the clock. I didn't want to deal with everyone bothering me and Kyle and I didn't think he wanted to either, so I figured we'd probably take off at lunch and be alone. My heart skipped and dropped at the same time, making my stomach do uncomfortable back flips. I was ridiculously nervous about seeing him, but at the same time I couldn't wait.

After what felt like a lifetime, the bell rang, and I booked it out of my class before lunch, like I'd done the whole day, avoiding the questions being thrown at me. Running to Kyle's locker, I was shocked to find that he wasn't there. I waited for five minutes before growing impatient and going to find him. I expected him to be as anxious as I was, and now that I couldn't find him, I was worried that he'd panicked and taken off or something like that.

"Kyle!" I called, ignoring the stares and murmurs rising up around me. "Kyle where are you?"

"Stan?" I whipped around to find him, looking completely normal, with a large pile of books in his arms. "Dude, why are you yelling?"

I slumped in relief. "Jesus Ky. You scared the shit out of me. Where were you?"

"Studying in the library." He rolled his eyes. "I have so much fucking homework."

I felt physically deflated. He was acting as if nothing was different at all. "Oh…uh…well I thought we could um...talk now." I said awkwardly. Embarrassment had settled in my stomach as I realized he had not been thinking about this nearly as much as I had. Knowing Kyle he'd probably let it slip to the back of his mind all day.

"Dude I have to study if my mom is ever gonna let me out of the house again." He insisted, looking down at his books miserably.

I sighed, "Yeah….right well um." Suddenly his lips were almost against my ear, making my heart jump back up and pound full speed.

"Tonight." He whispered, sending chills down my spine. "Leave your window open tonight. I'll be there as soon as I can. This is important to me too Stan, but now is not the time, nor place." It almost felt like he kissed my ear, but I was to frozen in shock to tell. "We'll talk tonight." Then, just as suddenly as he had been there, he had pulled away, walking down the hall. "See ya Stan!" He called, smiling and waving with his free hand before turning away.

I just watched him, trying to calm my frenzied heart. A small smile graced my lips as I turned down another hallway. So I had to wait a little longer to talk to him. At least now I wasn't guessing.

"Tonight." I murmured under my breath, setting it in my mind. _Tonight I'll tell him._

**Okay guys! I updated faster! YAAY! I know this kinda feels like a filler chapter, but trust me…it was necessary. Love to all 3 Reviews make my day!**


End file.
